Mentoring Connector

The Mentoring Connector is the only national database of mentoring programs

Those interested in becoming a mentor or finding a mentoring program for a young person can search the database. MENTOR Virginia uses this database to make referrals when we receive inquiries from volunteers, families, and school counselors.

MENTOR Virginia’s interactive map of mentoring programs is a tool that can be used in a variety of ways. Its main purpose is to serve as a resource for parents/caregivers, school counselors, teachers, social workers, case workers, or volunteers to search for mentoring programs in their areas. Utilize this map to locate mentoring programs across Virginia and find contact information to get in touch with a program that meets any youth needs.

This map can be useful if you are considering launching a new mentoring program in your area and want to know what other programs are already in existence to ensure no duplication of efforts. Use the map to identify programs to refer a youth or volunteer to if needed. With this map, you can identify and establish partnerships in the field and/or share resources and information. It can also help you identify any mentoring gaps in a region so that you can advocate for the establishment of new programs or the expansion of existing ones. The map may not reflect all mentoring programs in Virginia.

Need help?

View this video tutorial to learn how to use the map. In this video, we explained how to use the map’s built-in-search bar to find mentoring program

Find a Mentor

Are you a young person looking for someone who can offer a listening ear, provide support, connect you with opportunities, and offer guidance on your journey? MENTOR Virginia partners with youth mentoring programs across the state that can help you connect with a mentor and achieve your goals. Use the search tool at the bottom of this page to find mentoring program opportunities near you. Can’t find a program? Feel free to call us at 804-829-7236 for assistance.

If there are no mentoring programs in your area that you are eligible for, MENTOR Virginia may be able to help you learn how to identify and cultivate a mentoring relationship with an adult in your community who can serve as a mentor and guide. Here are some resources for this style of mentoring, which is called Youth-Initiated Mentoring:

For additional support with Youth-Initiated Mentoring, please contact us at admin@mentorva.org.

Why do some mentoring programs have less information on their profiles than others?

If you are looking at the profile of a mentoring program and don’t see a lot of information about it, it is likely because MENTOR Virginia only has limited information about that program currently. The map will be continually updated as programs provide new, updated, and additional information to us.            

Where can I find contact information on the map for a mentoring program I want to reach out to?

After you have found a program that you want to reach out to, you can find the contact information listed with the program details under the “program details” layer. An easy way to find this information is to type the program’s name into the map’s built-in search bar.

The search results will pull up “hits” that match the program name you’ve entered and those will have either a red dot or a blue flag beside them. You may see a long list of search result items with red dots beside it and only one search result item with a blue flag beside it. To see a particular program’s details, you’ll want to click on a search result that shows that program’s name and has a blue flag beside it. The contact information for the program will be listed with other details about the program on the left-hand side of the map.

If I am having trouble using the map, who can I reach out to?

If you are having a hard time navigating the search features on the map of Virginia’s mentoring programs and you’ve already watched all the tutorials, you can reach out to Emma at pr@mentorva.org to ask for assistance using the map or finding a program.           

If I am representing a mentoring program that is not currently showing up on the map, how can I enroll in my program?

To add a new mentoring program to our map of mentoring programs in Virginia, please send an email to pr@mentorva.org. We will ask you for some basic information about your mentoring program and the zip codes you serve to add your program to the map. We will ask your program annually for updated information about the mentoring services you offer to make sure the map is up to date.

Is there any other tool I can use to find local mentoring programs?

Yes, you can use the Mentoring Connector, a national database of mentoring programs. Each year, potential volunteers looking for mentoring opportunities do more than 80,000 searches in this system. This free service helps quality youth mentoring programs recruit local volunteers while greatly increasing the visibility of their organizations.

I can’t find a mentoring program in my zip code that meets my needs or the needs of a young person I represent. Can anyone help me find a program in my area?

If you have searched the map by zip code and can’t find a suitable program to meet your needs or the needs of a young person you represent, you can try to search for a program using the Mentoring Connector. This database tool allows you to search for programs by zip code, type of program model, and ages served to help you find programs in your area. Some programs that are not showing up on this mapping tool may show up in the search results on the Mentoring Connector. Likewise, some programs that will show up in search results on the Mentoring Connector may not be enrolled on this mapping tool.

If a search on the Mentoring Connector doesn’t turn up any new or helpful program options, you can reach out to pr@mentorva.org for assistance in finding other program options. Keep in mind that not every locality will have access to mentoring program resources at this time. Some areas of the state are program “deserts,” meaning there are not currently any known mentoring resources available.

When was this map created and how often is the program data updated?

MENTOR Virginia launched our interactive mapping tool that lists mentoring programs in Virginia in 2023. The initial version of the map included 59 programs that participated in our 2022 State of Mentoring in Virginia survey. The map is now open to any mentoring programs that serve youths ages 5-26 in the Commonwealth and want to increase their visibility and as well as help demonstrate the scope and variety of mentoring programs that are serving youths in our state.

On an annual basis, MENTOR Virginia plans to require all programs that are listed on our mapping tool to review their program information and provide updated data. These updates will be reflected on the map on an ongoing basis, as this information is collected from programs. Any program that fails to provide updated information on an annual basis when it is requested will be removed from the map to ensure that only active, responsive programs are displayed on the map. This will help ensure that the map continues to reflect the programs that are actively providing mentoring services to young people in Virginia and highlight the areas of the state that don’t currently have access to any mentoring services.

Are all mentoring programs in Virginia showing up on this map?

No! More mentoring programs are operating in the state of Virginia than are showing up on our interactive mapping tool. MENTOR Virginia has relationships with over 200 mentoring programs and is aware of at least 150 other programs that we haven’t yet had a chance to develop a close relationship with. That doesn’t include the many mentoring programs that haven’t yet been connected to MENTOR Virginia or vice versa, nor the many mentoring programs that come into existence every year that may not get connected to MENTOR Virginia right away.

“Mentoring” is defined differently by different groups of people, which adds a layer of challenge for us as we try to enroll as many youth mentoring programs as possible in our mapping tool. We focus our efforts on recruiting programs to enroll in our mapping tool that provides structured and intentional mentoring relationship support as the core purpose or a key part of the youth services they provide. Many other programs are providing some type of mentor-like support across our state, and these programs may not be well-represented on our map.

To search more broadly for out-of-school time (OST) youth programs in your area (which may not have a specific mentoring focus or component), you can visit our friends at the Virginia Partnership for Out-of-School Time who have created an extensive map of available OST programs across the state.

There are no mentoring programs in my area. Can you help me start one?

Sure! A big part of the work we do here at MENTOR Virginia is geared toward helping to build and establish new mentoring programs in Virginia’s communities. We’d be happy to help you as you start the journey toward building a new mentoring program! There are three initial steps we recommend you take to begin your journey:

1) Attend our New Mentor Training

These trainings, offered monthly, are designed to be an introduction to topics relevant to youth mentoring including mentor roles, relationship-building, youth development topics, communication, and boundary-setting in mentoring relationships. This will give you the foundational knowledge to start building on as you think about developing a program. You can see our upcoming training dates and register on our website here.

2) Review resources on starting a youth mentoring program

MENTOR has a self-paced online course called “Starting a Mentoring Program” that walks through steps you can take to start a high-quality youth mentoring program. Additionally, the Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring (EEP) details research-informed and practitioner-approved standards for creating and sustaining quality youth mentoring programs and, consequently, impactful mentoring relationships. When thinking about what structures and practices you will need to put into place to support a quality mentoring program, EEP is the resource that can help you get started.

3) Apply for Technical Assistance (TA) Consulting

Technical assistance consulting (TA) connects mentoring programs with an expert consultant in the field who works with the program one-on-one to develop or enhance mentoring programs for young people. This service doesn’t cost anything! Check out our website for more information on how the process works and what can be covered through consultation. To access TA consulting, submit a request today. For more information on starting a mentoring program, contact pr@mentorva.org.

There are no mentoring programs in my area, but I am not ready to start my own mentoring program. What else can I do to help bring mentoring to my community?

Join us at Capitol Hill Day to help us advocate for increased federal funding support that can help establish and expand mentoring programs in high-need areas around the state. If there is no access to youth mentoring programs in your community, you can come and share your story with your elected officials and help them understand the value of mentoring and why increased investment is needed. If you aren’t able to travel to Washington D.C. with us next January to participate in this day of advocacy, there are other steps you can take.